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Kelly Gunderson's 87-year-old mother, Daphne Tresher, has Alzheimer's disease. Anyone who has ever seen a loved one's memory fade, that blank look of confusion flash across her face, knows how helpless it makes you both feel. But every once in a while, if you're lucky, that memory returns -- if only for a minute.
Last week, while taping a visit, Kelly's mother had a brief moment of clarity. Right before our eyes, she goes from a total lack of recognition to calling Kelly by name and then declaring her love in the most heartrending way.
Get a box of tissues before you watch this video, because it will give you the cries like nothing else.
See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.
"I'm lovin' you." Wow, isn't that devastating? For your own mother to stop recognizing you would be heartbreaking. So imagine how it feels when she finally "sees" you again. That just reaches down into a place in your heart that's primal, a place all mothers know well. And it makes you wonder if there's something beyond memory for moms that's stronger than Alzheimer's, even if just for a few brief seconds.
We're so happy for Gunderson that not only did she have this reunion with her mom, but she can now watch it over and over again. What a gift! Our hearts go out to her whole family as they deal with this difficult illness.
Have you seen any of your close family members fall victim to Alzheimer's?
Image via Kelly Gunderson/YouTube
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